Qin
Qin is based on the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese History. Qin is a land that has a lot of contrasts. It's the Middle Kingdom, but the Throne is in such a period of weakness, that the land has split up into a number of states. The land is in feudal chaos, as various warlords are all vying to unite the land and to become the next Emperor of all of the Middle Kingdom. However, Qin is a grand empire. It has civilization and culture, mathematics, and architecture. Barbarians come to trade for the things that the Qin people produce and make, such as fine silks, ceramics, cut jade, and bronzeware. They bring spices, and salts to the people of the Middle Kingdom. Qin is a fine example of Civilization, cities yes. But people are fighting each other. But with fighting and vying for the throne, comes opportunity for Qin to flower. Qin is a place of learning, culture, and good government. It has a history that stretches back two thousand years and into three dynasties. Qin's people sees the country as an example of great resilience and endurance. The country has managed to stay together over the two millenia or more that it has been in existence. The Qin people believe that their land is a great example of good governance to it's neighbors, the barbarians around the empire. Cities Jugenshi Jugenshi is a city that is built between the confluenence of two canals built during the Zhou Dynasty. It has good deposits of Iron and copper, and the land is good enough to grow rice, tea, hemp, soy beans, mulberry trees, and laquer. The land also supports pork, venison, beef, fish, and fowl. Although bronze is still the material of choice to make beautiful things for the nobility to buy. Jugenshi is noted for it's Emperor's Palace, which is built lavishly to be the residence of our current Emperor. Despite being weak, the Emperor still spares no expense to keep Jugenshi going. Jugenshi is noted for it's temple of the Golden Empress, which was raised around a statue of the wife of the Zhou Dynasty's founder, Zhu Chaing. Jugenshi is a place where many merchants go, and many in the West say it is the beginning of the Silk Road; which isn't true at all. Despite the many people who live here, Jugenshi is still a place where corruption does reign. In it's Forbidden City, bureaucrats and eunichs work hard to keep the Emperor weak for their own self aggrandizement. They have committed all sorts of crimes to keep themselves rich at the people's expense and the Emperor seem like a weak, doddering fool. Despite this, the Emperor is very saavy, and uses his influence to keep the Warlords fighting one another. Behind the Curtain: The Spring and Autumn Period The Spring and Autumn period (simplified Chinese: 春秋时代; traditional Chinese: 春秋時代; pinyin: Chūnqiū Shídài) was a period in Chinese history that took place from approximately 771 until 476 BC (or by some authorities until 403 BC[1]) in the alluvial plain of the Yellow River, the Shandong Peninsula and the river valleys of the Huai and Han.[2] It roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. Its name comes from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 and 479 BC, which tradition associates with Confucius. The period can also be further divided into three sub-periods:[3][4] *'Age of regional cultures' (Early): 771 BC–643 BC, up to the death of Duke Huan of Qi. *'Age of encroachments' (Middle): 643 BC–546 BC, up to the peace conference between the states of Jin and Chu. *'Age of reforms' (Late): 546 BC–403 BC, up to the partition of Jin. During the Spring and Autumn period, China's feudal system of fēngjiàn became largely irrelevant. The Zhou dynasty kings held nominal power, but had real control over only a small royal demesne centered on their capital Luoyi[5] near modern-day Luoyang. During the early part of the Zhou dynasty period, royal relatives and generals had been given control over fiefdoms in an effort to maintain Zhou authority over vast territory.[6] As the power of the Zhou kings waned, these fiefdoms became increasingly independent states. The most important feudal princes (known later as the twelve vassals) met during regular conferences where important matters, such as military expeditions against foreign groups or offending nobles, were decided. During these conferences, one vassal leader was sometimes declared hegemon (Chinese: 伯; pinyin: bó; later, Chinese: 霸; pinyin: bà) and given leadership over the armies of all Zhou states. As the era unfolded, larger and more powerful states annexed or claimed suzerainty over smaller ones. By the 6th century BC, most small states had disappeared and only a few large and powerful principalities dominated China. Some southern states, such as Chu and Wu, claimed independence from the Zhou. Wars were undertaken to oppose some of these states (Wu and Yue). Amid the interstate power struggles, internal conflict was also rife: six elite landholding families waged war on each other in Jin; the Chen family was eliminating political enemies in Qi; and legitimacy of the rulers was often challenged in civil wars by various royal family members in Qin and Chu. Once all these powerful rulers had firmly established themselves within their respective dominions, the bloodshed focused more fully on interstate conflict in the Warring States period, which began in 403 BC when the three remaining elite families in Jin – Zhao, Wei and Han – partitioned the state. Category:Gazetteer Category:The World